Profile
Tamara Farber is a partner in the firm's Environmental and Litigation departments. Her focus combines her interest in environmental matters in a civil litigation context, as well as in commercial transactions requiring her environmental expertise. In transactional work, she provides expertise on real estate or business transactions involving brownfield redevelopment including all aspects of investigating contaminated lands, corporate environmental due diligence, audits, property remediation, site decommissioning, waste management, environmental compliance matters, environmental risk management, and both pursuing and defending environmental claims.
Prior to coming to Miller Thomson LLP, she worked as an environmental consultant. Her background in Environmental Sciences contributes to her ability to understand complex technical reports in a number of fields including environmental assessments, risk assessments and site decommissioning parameters.
Ms. Farber has acted for individuals, private businesses and municipal and provincial governments. She has appeared before the provincial and federal courts, the Environmental Review Tribunal and other provincial tribunals. She has written and presented many papers on provincial and federal environmental issues including brownfield redevelopment, environmental insurance, directors’ and officers’ liabilities in environmental cases, and cross-border environmental issues.
Ms. Farber was named one of "Canada’s Top 40 lawyers under 40" in 2002 in LEXPERT The Business Magazine for Lawyers and mentioned in a related National Post article "The 40 under 40 Club". She is also listed as an “up and coming” environmental law practitioner under the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2004.
Education
- LL.B., Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, 1993
- B.Sc., Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, 1990
Professional Achievements
- 2012 Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory
- Certified Specialist, Environmental Law, The Law Society of Upper Canada
- Named one of "Canada’s Top 40 Lawyers under 40" in 2002 in Lexpert The Business Magazine for Lawyers
Representative Work
- Represented major U.S. chemical corporation in regulatory and litigation matters over contaminated land transaction
- Represents several big box developers in identification of Brownfield opportunities and related transactions
- Represents clients involved in petroleum, solvent, metal and other contaminant related litigation
- Represents various insurers in environmental litigation claims, on coverage, liability and damage issues
Community Involvement
- Co-Chair, Legal Expert Assistance Program/Citizen Support Program, Environmental Defence Canada
- Co-Chair, Miller Thomson’s United Way Campaign
- Chair, Miller Thomson’s Law Challenge Participation in support of Camp Oochigeas
Memberships
- Law Society of Upper Canada
- Canadian Bar Association
- Ontario Bar Association
- The Advocates’ Society
- Executive Member, Environmental Law Section, Ontario Bar Association
Publications
- Contaminated Land: Commercial, Regulatory and Insolvency Considerations, Law Society of Upper Canada's Commercial Priorities for Real Estate and Business Lawyers 2013 program, 2013
- Rewind re Wind, EnviroNotes!, April 2012
- Environmental Due Diligence in the Acquisition and Sale of Contaminated Assets, Envirogate - Documenting and Demonstrating Environmental Due Diligence, 2011
- No Harm, No Nuisance - The Ontario Court of Appeal Lays Out What Will, and Will Not, Fly in Proving Nuisance: Smith v. Inco Limited, EnviroNotes!, October 2011
- In the World of Wind - Setback Shmetback - No Harm, No Foul, EnviroNotes!, October 2011
- Wind Turbines and Health: Court Upholds Wind Energy Developments, Canadian Consulting Engineers, 2011
- ERT Decision Paves the Way for Wind Power in Ontario…or Does It?, Environews - Environmental Law Section, Volume 21, No. 1, 2011
- ERT Decision Paves the Way for Wind Power in Ontario, EnviroNotes!, August 2011 - Environmental Alert
- In the World of Wind: Setback Shmetback – Divisional Court Says Not Their Call, EnviroNotes!, August 2011 - Environmental Alert
- ERT decision paves the way for wind power in Ontario, Lexology, 2011
- In the world of wind: setback shmetback – divisional court says not their call, Lexology, 2011
- In the World of Wind: Setback Schmetback - Divisional Court Says Not Their Call, Environews 20:4, 2011
- Can Title Insurance Protect You from Environmental Defects?, EnviroNotes!, May 2011
- Investment Properties May Come With Surprise Environmental Liabilities: An Environmental Primer, It's Personal, 2011
- Investment Properties May Come With Surprise Environmental Liabilities: An Environmental Primer, It's Personal (Vol. 4, Iss. 1), 2011
- The Bionic Brownfield: Regulation 153/04 - Amendments to Record of Site Condition Regulation: Better, Stronger, Faster?, Institute 2011, 2011
- Developing Brownfields - Regulation Changes in Ontario have big impact, Canadian Consulting Engineers, 2010
- Amendments to the Brownfields' Regulation, EnviroNotes!, January 8, 2010 - Client Alert
- Green Roofs Coming to Toronto, EnviroNotes!, December 2009
- Expert Evidence in Environmental Claims - Lessons from the South, Putting the Puzzle Together: An exploration of Emerging and Critical Issue in Environmental Civil Litigation, 2009
- Cousins v. McColl-Frontenac Inc.: Update – SCC Grants Leave to Appeal but Settlement Prevails, OBA Environews, Vol. 18 (April 2009), 2009
- Expert Evidence in Environmental Claims – Lessons from the South, OBA’s Putting the Puzzle Together: An Exploration of Emerging and Critical Issues in Environmental Civil Litigation Seminar, 2009
- The 'Greening' of Leases, Leasing Times, December 2008
- 'Green' Leases: A Primer, EnviroNotes!, Fall 2008
- Two Can Play at this Game: Cross-Border Pollution Enforcement, OBA Environews, Vol. 17, 2008
- "Clean and Neat" - Environmentally Speaking?, Leasing Times, March 2008
- Two Can Play at This Game: Cross Border Pollution Enforcement, EnviroNotes!, March 2008
- Carbon Disclosure - Do Investors Want to Know How Companies Are Addressing Climate Change Issues?, EnviroNotes!, March 2008
- Waiver of Torts, a Potential Arrow in the Quiver of Climate Change Class-Action Litigants?, EnviroNotes!, Summer 2007
- Civil and Regulatory Liability Associated With Spills and Historic Site Contamination, 2007
- Managing Environmental Risks in Real Estate Transactions, 2007
- Environmental Litigators Beware – What You Don’t Ask For in Discoveries Might Come Back to Bite You in the Contaminated Zone!, OBA Environews, Vol. 16, 2006
Industry Expertise
Key Practice Expertise
Areas of Focus
- Environmental Assessment
- Contaminated Sites
- Brownfield Re-development
- Brownfield Funding
Year of Call
- Ontario Bar, 1995